


I'll Reach For Your Hand

by Woofie



Series: When We Fall From The Heavens [1]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: (yet), Amaimon Is A Cutie, Blind Character, Cuz That Would Be Problematic, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Love, No Smut, No beta we die like Shiro Fujimoto, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated M for Safety, Romance, Slow Burn, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Title Subject to Change, Wholesome, but not really, enemies is a loose term, he deserves the world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26108872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woofie/pseuds/Woofie
Summary: When Natsume was five years old, she asked her mother about the creatures that nobody else could see.They followed her, prowling around every corner and in every dark shadow. They became a constant in her young life, one she often wished didn’t exist.At seven years old, her wish came true and her mother took her eyes.[ Amaimon x Blind!OC ][ "Just cuz’ I’m blind doesn't mean I’m completely helpless," she grumbled, walking straight into a wall. ]
Relationships: Amaimon & Original Character(s), Amaimon & Original Female Character(s), Amaimon (Ao no Exorcist)/Original Character(s), Amaimon (Ao no Exorcist)/Original Female Character(s), Amaimon (Ao no Exorcist)/Reader
Series: When We Fall From The Heavens [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895680
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter I

Natsume carefully stepped off the train onto the platform below with a sigh. She didn’t particularly care for public transportation and she didn’t think Marshmello, her seeing eye dog, liked it all too much either. He did his job just fine (keeping her from running into walls or tripping over changes in her path), but Natsume could practically see the anxiety radiating off him. She supposed it wasn’t much of a surprise considering that he had been trained in a much smaller town with a much smaller populace. They didn’t have to deal with crowds that could literally sweep them off their feet back home. Not to mention the noises of the big city! Natsume had never heard so many different sounds at once. It was honestly overwhelming.

“C’mon, Mello,” Natsume ushered the exhausted dog forward to make sure they weren’t blocking anybody from the train.

“Natsume?” a voice called above the hum of chatter. Natsume did her best to face the general direction the voice came from. She seemed to get it mostly right because a gentle finger tapped against the front of her shoulder (the universal sign that somebody was trying to get her attention). “You’re Natsume, right?” 

“Yeah,” she confirmed lightly, thinking, “And I guess you’re Daisuke?”

“Yep! That’s me! Seems your dad got you informed.” the boy laughed softly. Natsume couldn’t help the slight relief that she at least got his name right. She couldn’t deal with social embarrassment on top of her aching feet. “C’mon, I’ll take you to your new place.”

Natsume waited a moment for Marshmello to move or for there to be some type of signal. And waited….and waited.

“Oh,” Daisuke released a nervous laugh, “Sorry, I….”

“You were holding your hand out for me to grab, weren’t you?” Natsume deadpanned. So much for escaping social embarrassment (although that one was totally on the kid trying to guide her).

“Yeah, my bad. For real this time,” Daisuke gently scooped up Natsume’s unused hand into his own and began leading her away. 

A few close calls later (stairs are the literal devil and she will never forgive the dips that separate sidewalks from intersections) and Natsume finds herself safely delivered to her new home. She didn’t know what the building looked like, but she knew it was squished between another apartment building and a cornershop (courtesy of her father). And based on smell alone, she assumed the cornershop was either a bakery, cafe, or some type of sweet store. Nothing special, but nothing Natsume particularly despised. She would definitely have to get used to the constant noise pollution from the street below, but it wasn’t horrible enough to complain.

After getting out her keys, which was a task in itself, and expertly dodging the requests at a date from Daisuke, Natsume said her goodbyes to the heartbroken boy and quickly retreated into her new abode. She was surprised by how well the noise dulled once the door closed behind her (though it definitely wasn’t quiet). 

Releasing yet another tired sigh, Natsume carefully maneuvered herself up the complex steps. She kept her unused hand against the wall, counting doors as she brushed by them in order to find her own. At the third door, she stopped and used her key to unlock it. Sure enough, it opened, allowing both Natsume and her loyal companion inside.

Finding her way to the nearest soft seating, Natsume plops down and works off Marshmello’s harness. With him free, she layed back, wondering what she was supposed to do now. A job would be the most logical option, but she really didn’t feel like walking around anymore and it wasn't like she could read a newspaper for work ads. Grumbling to herself, Natsume wondered what she would even do in this new place. Back home she’d helped take care of the animals on the farm, but there weren’t exactly any farms in the middle of the city. Maybe she could finish her schooling and be a teacher or something….

BANG!

Natsume jumped at the loud sound that resonated through the wall behind her head. At least, she thought there was a wall there. Bringing a hand up to test, she sighed in relief when she was indeed met with cool plaster. For a moment, Natsume thought maybe the sound had been coming from her apartment, but it was clearly from next door. 

Marshmello, who hadn’t moved far from Natsume’s feet, whined quietly. She leant down to give him a reassuring pat on the head.

“It’s alright, Mello. Those barbarians next door won’t hurt you,” she cooed. As if to prove her wrong, a loud crash echoed through the walls separating Natsume and her weirdly noisy neighbors. She grimaced, seriously hoping this wouldn’t be a common issue (and that it wasn’t anything she should worry about).

The noise did indeed quiet down after a few minutes of various thuds and some muffled yelling and Natsume decided to spend the rest of her night getting acquainted with the layout of her apartment. She, much to her own delight, only ran into a wall twice.

[ “Being blind isn't so bad. I don’t have to look at your ugly mug, so that’s a plus.” ]

It didn’t actually take that long for Natsume to find a job that would accept her and that she could reliably do. The cornershop that she had previously smelled was, in fact, a sweets store. She couldn’t help much with keeping the counter (let’s just say Natsume and bills don’t get along very well), but restocking wasn’t too much of an effort as long as she had her walking stick and knew where she was going. Natsume also could help with making the homemade candy the shop sold. The owner, unsurprisingly, didn’t want a blind girl anywhere near the stove, but she was allowed to color, stretch, mix, and load the candies. It took a bit to get used to, but Natsume was nothing if not determined. She probably spent too many extra work hours just memorizing the shop’s layout.

“You move around pretty well,” one of her coworkers remarked offhandedly one morning. Her name was Iris or something equally foreign and Natsume could already tell she’d like the blunt girl. She’d never been one to be offended by comments related to her disability. Frankly, she found some of them pretty funny. Everybody always expected her to be helpless (which was a laughable prospect).

“Well, I do have legs.” Natsume responded easily. Iris, who had been helping her sort through some boxes, dropped whatever she was holding and laughed.

“I suppose you do, huh?” she murmured once the giggles subsided. Natsume was pretty sure that sparked some type of domino effect because by the end of the week, the majority of her coworkers that had previously been walking eggshells around her seemed more comfortable. She even went out for lunch with Iris and her younger brother (who also worked part-time), Indigo. Natsume had a small laugh at their names and learned that apparently it was a family trend.

Natsume also learned, during one of these friendly lunch outings, that the sweets shop she worked at frequently hosted the attention of True Cross Academy’s esteemed headmaster and his brother (the brother specifically). Being overshadowed by the gigantus school building, Natsume couldn’t find it in herself to be surprised. While she couldn’t see the building, her father had gone on quite a tangent about it, especially considering it was where he had gone to school. He had ranted for hours about “Pheles” and “a demonic douchebag who never answers the phone”. 

Natsume couldn’t deny that she was curious about True Cross Academy’s headmaster and his family, especially if they were casual enough to visit such a normal sweets shop. With that in mind, she didn’t obsess over it too much. Between getting used to her new job, discovering the streets that surrounded her home, and trying to sort out how to keep a budget, Natsume didn’t have free time to worry about local celebrities. Fate, of course, clearly didn’t have the same thought process.

Carefully loading a bag of hard candies into their home, Natsume released a small sigh. She made sure there were no loose sweets left in the plastic before meticulously maneuvering back towards the counter. Between her walking stick and just listening for the tell-tale signs of movement, Natsume did well for herself. She hadn’t run into more than three people in the entire time of working so that was something. Just as Natsume moved past the counters (and Iris who was working the register), she paused. 

A quiet ningling pushed at the back of her mind. It wasn’t something completely unusual, though normally it didn’t feel so strong. Snapping her head to the sound of the bell on the door ringing, Natsume suddenly felt cold. An indescribable feeling washed over her and she shuddered. Whatever had just walked into the shop, it wasn’t human. Frowning, the girl resumed her tasks before Iris could question her. 

Natsume had felt the same presence before (or something extremely similar). It had been back home and in the form of a man her father occasionally invited over for dinner. “Pheles”. Her father’s friend from school, that was why it felt so familiar. Brows furrowing and thoroughly confused, Natsume distracted herself by gathering up the next stock of candies.

“Amai! Your usual?” Iris’ voice carried above the normal noise. Natsume stiffened at the voice that responded with a low hum. She hadn’t seen (ha) Pheles in quite awhile, but she knew that wasn’t his voice. More to the mystery, she thought warily as she came back out past Iris. She ignored the quiet voice in her head that told her to get far away from this non-human. Turning her back to him (and crying internally because it made her anxiety increase by tenfold), Natsume put all her concentration on stocking the sweets in her arms. 

“Natsume?” Iris’ amused call brought her from her trance. She turned to show her acknowledgment. “You’re….putting the caramel chews in with the skittles.” 

“Oh,” Natsume breathed, sounding somewhat winded. She could already feel the heat rising to her cheeks. Iris’ snort was a sure sign that it wasn’t an issue, but it was still embarrassing.

“One sec, Amai.” Iris hummed. Natsume listened as she walked around the counter to her side. She took the packages from her grasp. “And here I was thinking you weren’t really blind.” she laughed. Natsume couldn’t resist the urge to huff indiginantly. 

“Shut up, I got distracted.” she grumbled.

“By what? The black abyss?” Iris teased. Natsume went to go and lightly smack her on the shoulder….and missed. The heat flared up by tenfold. Iris burst out laughing, much to Natsume’s shame.

“Can I have my candy now?” a monotonous voice asked from right behind Natsume. She jumped, whirling around. She had gotten so distracted by Iris and her feats of embarrassment that she’d forgotten about the creature inhabiting the store. With him so close, Natsume grimaced and backed right into Iris.

“Whoa there, Natsume. You okay?” she asked worriedly, putting her hands on her shoulders to balance them both out.

“Peachy,” Natsume responded, not tearing her eyes from the spot she knew the thing was standing. It didn’t help much, knowing that she was staring right at him, but it was better than having her back to him. This was so much worse than Pheles. Her father never made her join the dinners between him and the man (was he even a man?) and for a good reason. She couldn’t handle being in such close proximity to non-humans of such caliber.

“I think you should go home for the night. Your shift is almost over anyways.” Iris stated, gently moving Natsume aside. She opened her mouth to respond, closed it, and decided that Iris was definitely right. She wanted to go home.

“Yeah….” Natsume whispered, still refusing to move her head away from the creature. She carefully made her way towards the door.

“Don’t ignore me,” she heard the thing say just before the door closed. Releasing a low sigh of relief at being outside and away from the assumed danger, Natsume took a moment to pull herself together. She also took a moment to mourn the loss of her bag, which she’d left in the back room of the shop. There was no way she was going back in to get it.

“What the actual hell….?” she mumbled sadly, reorienting herself. She could feel the presence of the odd being moving around the shop and she frankly didn’t want to be around when he left. It was exactly like Pheles, the more she thought about it. Were they related? Natsume decided that she should probably call up her father when she got home and settled.

….ah crap. Her phone was in her bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there aren't enough amaimon fanfics so im here to change that! i got this idea when i realized that temptaints really only talk about affecting seeing demons. like bruh. what about blind people? so here we are!
> 
> first couple of chapters might be a little filler-y!
> 
>  **SNEAK PEAK OF NEXT CHAPTER**  
>  [ “Natsume,” he suddenly sounded serious, “Please really do everything in your power to avoid Mephisto’s kin. I don’t want you wrapped up with them.”
> 
> “Wha--?” 
> 
> “Just promise me. Promise you won’t get involved.” he demanded. Natsume hadn’t heard her father sound so firm about something in years. If she were honest, it scared her.
> 
> “Okay….” she hesitated, “I promise.” ]


	2. Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ “Natsume,” he suddenly sounded serious, “Please really do everything in your power to avoid Mephisto’s kin. I don’t want you wrapped up with them.”
> 
> “Wha--?” 
> 
> “Just promise me. Promise you won’t get involved.” he demanded. Natsume hadn’t heard her father sound so firm about something in years. If she were honest, it scared her.
> 
> “Okay….” she hesitated, “I promise.” ]

When Natsume first lost her eyesight, she hadn’t been distraught. At the time, it had seemed like a blessing. Finally, after years of paranoia and harassment from the monsters under her bed, she could be free. After all, if you can’t see them, they aren’t there, right? 

It came differently. It was so much worse. Even if she couldn’t see them, she knew they were there. Always there, lurking, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It was easier before, when she had to see them to be scared. Without her eyes, all Natsume could do was feel. It didn’t matter where she went or how hard she tried to hide, they were always there. She felt like she was stranded in an ocean of darkness being circled by thousands of monsters. Sleep didn’t come easy anymore. It was torture.

It got better after Natsume’s mother died because she was sent to live with her father. Her father, who for some inexplicable reason, didn’t seem to have a single monster in his home. Her father who, despite everything, comforted her. Things progressed and Natsume learned to get used to the feel of the monsters everywhere outside. They dulled into her senses, a familiar hum underneath her skin. Everything settled down and Natsume no longer feared the creatures in the darkness. Then, Mephisto Pheles came to visit and Natsume realized that what she had been feeling before had just been the tip of the iceberg.

“Someone like Pheles?” her father parroted curiously through the phone. Natsume had, with minimal effort, gotten her bag back. Which, in turn, meant the return of her cell as well. She didn’t use it often, being blind and all, but it was still a useful tool.

“Mm-hm. Felt almost exactly the same. Maybe….a little less creepy, but that’s not saying much.” she said, remembering the chills that went down her spine.

“I can’t deny Pheles can be pretty creepy.” her father chuckled, “Got a name, maybe?”

“Amai, I think. That’s what Iris called him.” Natsume hummed. She faintly heard her father drop something on the other side of the line before clearing his throat.

“O-Oh….that makes sense, actually.” he admitted, sounding nervous. Natsume frowned at the confirmation that her father did, indeed, know who the creature was. 

“What makes sense?” she questioned suspiciously.

“Nothing, nothing! Just….I was wondering what type of, er, monster would hang out in a candy shop, but that makes a little more sense. Amai is Phele’s brother.” he revealed. If Natsume had been drinking something, she would have spit it out all over her living room floor.

“What?! Brother?! What kind of coincidence is that?!” she sputtered.

“I didn’t realize he was back….” her father mumbled almost to himself, “Just avoid him, sweetness.” he reassured. He sounded worried, which was never a good sign.

“Easier said than done, Daddy. Especially considering I can feel him move even if he’s on the other side of a fucking wall.” she grumbled irritably. For the longest time she’d hoped that Pheles was some type of unique specimen of a creature, but that clearly wasn’t the case. She prayed to whatever god would listen that his brother wouldn’t bless her workplace with his presence very often (if at all). She didn’t particularly want to quit so soon.

“I’m sorry. If you’re that concerned about it, you could always come home?” her father suggested hopefully. Natsume sighed, the familiar feelings of guilt gnawing at her insides. For a long time, the idea of Natsume going anywhere but the small town they lived in was a prohibited topic. It took years of constant pushing and arguments for even school trips. The girl supposed it made sense, considering her disability, but she always hated the babying. Natsume didn’t even want to recall the conversation that finally loosened her father’s overprotective leash. She still felt bad about some of the underhanded things she had said (though every one of them was true). Natsume didn’t dwell on it too hard, too determined to prove herself. She wouldn’t back down from a chance at independence because of some weird candy-loving monster.

“Sorry, Daddy,” she replied quietly, “I’m going to be alright. Thanks for telling me.”

Silence permeated the space between them. Natsume chewed on her lip, wondering if maybe she should have said something different. Now she felt awkward. A wave of relief rolled over her when her father finally replied.

“No, I understand,” he murmured, “You’re a strong young woman now. If you ever need any help, give me a call, but I won’t force you to do things you don’t want to do anymore.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” Natsume replied, ignoring the slight sting at the back of her throat. 

“I have to go feed the dogs. It was good hearing from you, sweetness.” her father said cheerily.

“Give them tons of belly-rubs for me,” Natsume smiled, petting Marshmello. She went to swipe away the call but paused when her father called her name.

“Natsume,” he suddenly sounded serious, “Please really do everything in your power to avoid Mephisto’s kin. I don’t want you wrapped up with them.”

“Wha--?” 

“Just promise me. Promise you won’t get involved.” he demanded. Natsume hadn’t heard her father sound so firm about something in years. If she were honest, it scared her.

“Okay….” she hesitated, “I promise.”

“Thank you, sweetness. Goodnight.” his seriousness softened into something a bit more gentle, but the edge was still there. 

“Goodnight….” she replied warily. At the familiar beep of the call being ended, Natsume released a shaky sigh. Her heart felt like it was going a million miles an hour, thumping loudly into her ear drums. She cursed, feeling stupid by her body’s reaction to something so small and insignificant. Marshmello’s whine broke up her internal berating. She offered him a quiet apology. “Let’s go for a walk, hm?”

After finding Marshmello’s leash and harness (which was honestly a bigger hassle than she liked to admit), she dressed him and carefully led them both down the steps of the apartment building. She didn’t bother locking the door behind her. It wasn’t like she had much to steal. The most expensive thing in the building was probably her walking stick and that was covered by her insurance. 

“It’s adventure time, Mello.” she chirped once outside. It was still quite warm out despite being mid-September, which she was happy about. Commanding the dog down the sidewalk, Natsume could already feel the calmness of the outdoors making her feel better. She didn’t know the area around her house completely yet, but it was nothing asking for directions couldn’t change. With the help of an elderly lady just around the corner, Natsume found her way to the closest local park. There were, as always, a few close calls. The girl particularly had trouble locating intersections, but she made do.

Settling down into the soft grass, Natsume allowed herself to enjoy the soothing tranquility that the area offered. The distant chatter of playing children, faint rock music echoing from the skating and biking portion of the park, and the almost completely muted street noises. Despite not being completely quiet, it was nice. Natsume preferred the sounds of life over silence anyways. It made her feel warm inside, knowing that there were people around her, simply living. It was also a nice reminder that she still had one of her four remaining senses intact. 

It’s this moment of peace, when Natsume least expects it, that the familiar chill of danger worms its way down her spine. She stiffens, whirling around as if that will give her any indication as to where the feeling is coming from. Wherever it is, it’s too far away for her to pinpoint it. Beside her, Marshmello releases a low rumble. The dog either felt the creature too or he was simply reacting to Natsume’s own panic. Either way, she knew it was time to go home for the night.

Standing on two shaky but working legs, Natsume tightened her grip on Marshmello’s leash and stiffly commanded him forward. She didn’t stop until the feeling completely disappeared from her senses. By that point, she realized, with a curse, that she had no idea where she’d walked. The trip home was filled with lamenting over the loss of her peaceful evening walk. First it was her bag (a temporary but no less annoying loss) and now her peace? Natsume hoped this wouldn’t turn into a trend.

It did, much to her dismay. For days after her initial run-in with the mystery in the candy shop, Natsume would randomly sense what she was sure was Pheles’ brother. She couldn’t prove the theory, but as time went on, it seemed like more of a possibility. The thing was teasing her. Everytime she sensed it, it was always closer than it had been the time before. It was never, ever, close enough for her to zone onto. It was clearly aware of her restrictions (or maybe it was just testing them, she couldn’t be sure). 

The reason she was getting the inkling of it being Pheles’ brother was simple.  
It only appeared after her first encounter with him.  
It felt exactly the same (which doesn’t actually count for much considering how badly she differentiates auras to begin with).  
In reality, Natsume has no idea what (or who) was following her. She just made an assumption based on the minimal information she had and tried to keep the rest of her life as normal as possible. 

If there was one thing Natsume was good at, it was ignoring her problems. It was what she’d done in high school when she started failing Chemistry (those fucks didn’t understand how hard it was to make observations when you’re blind). It was what she’d done when she overheard her father talking to her counselor about her problematic behavior and recklessness. If Natsume hadn’t been blind through the majority of her schooling, she probably would have broken a lot more noses. Her current score was a measly two and one of those was in elementary school. That was what Natsume was good at: ignoring and then punching when ignoring doesn’t work (don’t get her started on how annoying it is trying to fight people who actually expect the blind girl to fight back).

Natsume wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to fight her stalker. She kept this mindset with her everytime she felt the flicker of aura sauntering its way closer to her. She would keep this mindset until he was close enough for her to pinpoint his location. 

Which is exactly when he decided to pass that threshold, three days after her father’s warning.

[ “It sucks sometimes, knowing I’m missing half of the world.” ]

_Everything was quiet. There was no obnoxious humming, no television, no movement. Natsume gulped, fear welling deep within her chest. Her mother was never quiet. She just wasn’t._

_“M-Mom?” carefully following the wall by the front door, Natsume ambled into room after room. Each one was the same--silent as death. That familiar stinging in her throat made Natsume choke. Where was she…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter feels a little filler-y. i honestly find it easier to write cliffhangers (as it makes picking up the next chapter more entertaining), so i cut it off a little earlier than i could have. im trying to update pretty frequently, but im 100% the next chapter won't be out till mid september 8th - 13th. i wont be home for the later end of this week, sorry!
> 
> with that in mind, i hope you enjoyed some spicy character development! natsume used to be quite a thug, hm~? think she'll actually punch amaimon?
> 
>  **SNEAK PEAK OF NEXT CHAPTER**  
>  [ “You….” she started, swallowing, “You’re--” Natsume almost forgot his first name, “--Mephisto’s brother, right?” ]


	3. Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ “You….” she started, swallowing, “You’re--” Natsume almost forgot his first name, “--Mephisto’s brother, right?” ]

Natsume pulled in a breath of the cool evening air. She pushed down the welling bit of unease that told her, despite everything, to run. She felt like prey. Releasing the same breath after a moment (she almost forgot she’d inhaled to begin with), Natsume steeled herself. She was scared for a multitude of reasons but that wasn’t going to stop her this time. She wouldn’t be batted around by some overconfident monster regardless of whether it was really Pheles’ brother or not. Reigning in every drop of confidence she could muster up in this situation, Natsume faced the creature.

“Why are you following me?” she asked, ignoring the way her lips shuddered. She wondered, for a brief moment, if she looked crazy. It was late (or late enough to where the temperatures had dropped significantly) but she knew the street she was on wasn’t empty of passersby. If Natsume wasn’t so worried about being murdered, she probably would have postponed the confrontation to somewhere more private.

The aura, which she could now feel moving through the void, wandered closer. Not quite in touching range, but close enough. Being in such direct proximity, Natsume had to lock her legs to stop the instinct telling her to get the hell out of there.

“Ah….” the creature spoke, “So you did notice….”

The familiar drawling tone made her jump. It took Natsume only a few seconds to connect the voice to Pheles’ brother from the candy shop (just as she’d thought). Amai, as Iris had enthusiastically called him. Natsume bit her lip, searching her mind for possible responses. She wanted to tell the monster to leave her alone, but she wasn’t quite sure how to say it without sounding aggressive. 

“You….” she started, swallowing, “You’re--” Natsume almost forgot his first name, “--Mephisto’s brother, right?” 

“You know brother?” he responded, sounding surprised (or as surprised as someone with such a monotonous voice could sound). He got closer, much too close for Natsume’s tastes, causing her to break the stance that had been keeping her in place. She stumbled back a few paces but didn’t fall. When he stopped pressing forward she regained her almost-confident bearing.

“I’ve met him once or twice….” she said unsurely (it was more than once or twice but Natsume didn’t frankly care). Amai, which she settled on calling him instead of “monster”, hummed low in his throat. Even though Natsume couldn’t see, she could feel his eyes looking her up and down. Or at least, she thought she could. There was a potential that her brain was just purposely trying to creep her out. 

“Are you one of those exorcists?” he suddenly asked, breaking her from her stupor. Natsume wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the question. She wasn’t sure what it meant, whether it was some type of metaphor or something else equally as confusing.

“Uh….” she opened her mouth, searching for some type of coherent reply. Unsurprisingly, none came to her. Her brain felt like it was running at a million miles an hour and Amai’s overwhelming aura definitely wasn’t helping any. Speaking of Amai, the boy (man? Creature? She was struggling to think of proper pronouns here) clearly didn’t care about an actual answer.

“You don’t seem very strong for an exorcist.” he droned boredly. Natsume did a full-body flinch when one of his fingers suddenly poked curiously at her covered shoulder. The action must have amused him because he immediately did it again with a low snort. Natsume couldn’t hold back the instinctual reaction to grab his wrist before he could repeat the action a third time.

“I’m not--” she started. Suddenly the air changed and Amai’s dense aura turned absolutely suffocating. She gasped when suddenly the grip on Amai’s forearm disappeared and she couldn’t breath. Amai’s hand, which was just seconds ago was in her grip, was clamped tightly around her esophagus. She felt her feet lift off the ground as she clawed desperately for air. It happened so fast. Natsume wondered, in her haze of “what the fuck where you thinking?”, if maybe she shouldn’t have left home. It certainly would have avoided the problem of being choked to death by your father’s best friend’s brother.

“I don’t like it when humans touch me.” Amai spoke over Natsume’s one-sided struggle. She barely heard the words over the pounding in her skull. “Okay?” As quickly as the breath had left her, it returned and Natsume dropped to her knees, heaving. Every gulp of air felt both horrible and amazing at the same time. Her lungs screamed, but she was alive. 

In the distance, Natsume could make out what she was sure were sirens. Somebody nearby must have seen the exchange and called the police. The station wasn’t too far from where they were positioned, so it was only a matter of time before they arrived. In the meantime, Natsume, still pulling in choked breaths, looked up at Amai. He hadn’t moved from his spot. And again, though Natsume couldn’t see, she was sure he was looking down at her. She met his gaze (or stared up at him if she turned out to be wrong) and pursed her lips. She wanted to say so many things, but nothing actually came out. What was she supposed to say, really? Natsume felt torn between getting unbearably pissed and screaming at him (which would surely result in a repeat of what just happened) and questioning him. There was also a small part of her that, despite everything, wanted to thank him for not killing her. A morbid thought, but one she had nonetheless. She knew the monsters weren’t normally so kind (if kind was even the right word). 

Before she could even attempt to put her words into something reasonable, he was gone. Somebody trotted up from behind Natsume and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, asking if she was alright. She nodded, still partially in shock, and allowed two more people to help her up.

“Is she blind?” Natsume heard murmured from off to the side. She grimaced. There was no doubt in her mind that a decent amount of bystanders saw the entire exchange between her and Amai. And honestly, she wasn’t sure which was worse: the fact that none of them actively went in to help her or the rumors that would start up because of the incident itself.

“Who would choke out a blind girl?” someone else asked (only to get shushed). Natsume wondered about that too, but the answer was obvious. Mephisto Pheles’ brother would.

“Miss, you’re bleeding.” one of her escorts said worriedly. He shouted something to another man (something about needing towels until the ambulance arrived) and lowered her onto a seat of some sort. Natsume, confused, brought her fingers to her neck and winced at the warm liquid that seemed to be smeared across her throat. It was going to be a long night.

[ “Sometimes I think life gives me lemons because it likes to watch me bite into it and realize, much too late, that I made a big fucking mistake.” ]

Natsume really didn’t care for hospitals. She supposed the opinion probably came from the month she spent in the god forsaken building as a kid. There’s nothing to do when you're subjected to bed rest as a blind person. You listen to the television and talk to yourself and then you sleep for another couple of hours and repeat (an exaggeration but still relatively accurate). 

Natsume ended up spending too much time at the hospital after the incident with Amai. She would have been sent out earlier, but due to the nature of the attack and Natsume’s blindness, they thought it wise to not send her out at one in the morning. So, much to her dismay, she spent the entire night in the hospital, got interrogated by the police the next morning, and then was finally released (but only after she promised to let one of the officers drive her home).

After stepping out of the car and thanking the officer who drove her, Natsume decided that maybe she should have stayed at the hospital for a bit longer. Amai, with all his aura’s glory, was in her building. She hoped to god that he wasn’t in her apartment. 

Panic suddenly hit her at full force. She totally forgot about Marshmello. Throwing open the front door of the apartment building, Natsume stumbled up the steps as quickly as she could without tripping. She stopped, breathing heavily, when upon reaching her door, the aura abruptly disappeared. Frowning, Natsume unlocked her apartment and stepped inside. An excited Marshemello greeted her, whining and pacing around her legs eagerly. He didn’t seem particularly anxious and he definitely wasn’t injured. She released a shaky sigh of relief. As scared as she was of Amai and his choking, she would punch Satan himself if he threatened Marshmello. The dog was too sweet to deal with monsters and their shitty personalities.

Carefully lowering herself down to Marshmello’s level, Natsume pet the happy dog. Fear lodged itself in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure it was safe to take him on walks anytime soon, but she was equally terrified about something happening to him in her own apartment. Groaning, Natsume rested her forehead against Marshemello’s.

“This is a mess. I could have died….” she murmured pathetically. “Leave it to Natsume to piss off the wrong people again.” 

Standing, the girl kicked her front door shut (before the neighbors could get nosey) and wandered over to her kitchenette. She was going to try her hand at cooking breakfast. 

Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t turn out how she wants and she ends up eating a sad bowl of cereal on the couch, doing her best to not think about how she almost died just hours previous.

[ “Well, personally, I think you look great.” ]

Natsume hoped that after being successfully scared into submission via non-consensual choking and stalking her house, Amai would leave her alone (like it was some type of sick dominance display and he just needed evidence of superiority before fucking off). Unfortunately, she could never be that lucky. 

He showed up at the candy shop again. And unlike the first time, he seemed intent on making Natsume do everything for him. Finding specific candies, getting his “specialty orders” from the back, answering his stupid questions, and everything in between. For whatever reason or another, he found it necessary to amuse himself with Natsume's suffering. 

It wasn’t even the labor work that she was against. She could do labor, she had been since she was a child. The issue was Amai also liked to poke and prod at her, like he wanted her to lash out or grab his wrist again (she knew now to not touch him). He spent almost a full hour in the shop, just following Natsume around, requesting things from her, nudging her arms, shoulders, and waist. There was no end to his torture. The worst part was that Iris had taken the day off and the coworker working alongside Natsume thought the whole thing was cute and refused to interfere. 

Natsume was slowly going insane. She was pissed and wanted, vehentimately, to punch the little spawn of Satan right in the nose. If it wasn’t for the example he’d pulled the day before, she probably would have. She was still scared, more so than ever, but she could feel the fear morphing into frustration more than anything. It was stressful and exhausting enough with just having to feel his suffocating aura and now Natsume was reaching the end of her rope. 

Thankfully, before she could cause her own death, Amai was called away to who-knows-where. She almost cried in relief when he finally left the candy shop (the hour-worth bag of candy in his arms). The rest of her shift felt like heaven in comparison to what she’d just fought through. 

The next day, Amai didn’t come into the shop at all and Natsume could rethink her idea to quit. The day after that, however, she was once again subject to the monster’s overwhelming presence. She slammed her head into the counter when she felt his aura approaching and received a half worried, half confused rant from Iris about the pros of not concussing yourself. Much like before, Amai demanded his business be taken care of by Natsume (much to Iris’ uncertainty).

“Cherry,” he commanded idly, standing opposingly in her escape route to the back of the shop. Natsume wished she could slam her head against a dozen more counters if it meant going home in peace. She knew though, that if the boy really did have the intention of harassing her, not even her apartment would save her from his behavior.

“Cherry what?” she responded irritably. She lost her customer service voice thirty minutes ago after Amai questioned the difference between two brands of lollipop. Iris, who had been watching from the counter the entire time (she seemed to find the situation amusing once she realized she couldn’t help), snorted.

Amai, with that insufferable drone of his, hummed in thought. “Taffy,” he said after a long moment. Natsume sighed and wracked her brain for the location of the candy. She knew where the taffy was, so that would be a start. Walking to the side of the shop, she found the glasses that held the sticky sweets. Opening the containers one at a time, she smelled each one till she identified the right one (she learned early on that Amai just wanted to watch her because he’s an asshole). 

“How many?” she grumbled. Unsurprisingly, Amai spends an even more redundant amount of time thinking about his response.

“Ah, I changed my mind.” is his well thought out answer. Natsume had half the mind to smash the taffy jar right over his thick head. She didn’t, both for the sake of her own life and her job. She wouldn’t quit until she was sure Amai wouldn’t follow her to her next workplace.

On the not-so-bright-side, Natsume was slowly becoming accustomed to Amai’s ever-engulfing aura. She no longer felt like she was going to shrivel up and die just by standing next to him (courtesy of him leering over her for over two hours in total now). On the actual bright side, Iris passed on Natsume’s “efforts to please” to the boss and she received a decent raise to her paycheck. 

Natsume decided to keep the stuff about Amai from her father during their next call. So far, the boy hadn’t moved to harass her outside of work. In fact, after the hospital Natsume hadn’t noticed Amai following her at all (aside from the bit right after she’d been released). She took Marshmello on walks a few times and found no evidence of her monster stalker. So, as disturbing as Amai’s little obsession felt, Natsume didn’t mention it.

Debatably another mistake on her part.

[ “When things get rough, nobody expects the blind girl.“ ]

_It was a bright morning. Summer rays filtered through the tattered kitchen curtains, illuminating the small room. Natsume grunted as she scrambled off the counters, a pack of pastries clutched in her tiny fists. Yelling out a loud victory cry, the girl ripped open the packaging easily and tossed it aside. Strawberry, her favorite._

_“Natsume!” pausing pre-bite, Natsume ran across the tiled floor and swerved around the corner into the living room. Her mother, hair frazzled and sticking out in every direction, stood on the stairs._

_“Mama!” she chirped happily, running over to the bottom of the stairs. Her mother met her halfway, grabbing one of her arms roughly. Natsume flinched, not expecting the tug, and dropped her pastries. Before she could even attempt to pick them back up, her chin was grasped and she was forced to look up at her mother’s angry expression._

_“I told you to stop sleeping down here!” the woman shrieked, gesturing wildly towards the couch. Natsume’s blanket and pillow sat precariously on the edge of the cushions._

_“But….the monsters….” she started, only to be cut off by a violent shake. She winced, not liking the way her mother’s nails dug into her skin. Tears welled up into her eyes, but she fought them back. Her mother didn’t like it when she cried._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy god, I am so happy to actually start adding scenes with Amaimon and Natsume interacting. I hope I got Amaimon's personality down. As for Natsume....I tried to make it pretty obvious that she is slowly converting from scared to pissed off both by her actions and my writing. I hope I did well on that front as well! We are entering the meat of the fanfiction, my lovely readers! I actually have the full plot of this story (plus most of the planned sequel) planned out! I am so excited~!
> 
> I just got back from my mini vacation and then pushed out almost all of this chapter (the only part I had done was the first few paragraphs before I left). I am extremely dedicated to trying to update this work often!
> 
> Also, I have a feeling I switch past and present tense a lot in this chapter. I struggle with tenses more than anything (my teachers were a bunch of shit brains I guess), so I'm sorry if you notice that. I'm trying to keep it past, but things slip through the cracks and I don't have a beta to yell at me lmao. As always, if you notice any mistakes, feel free to point them out.
> 
> SNEAK PEAK OF NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON


	4. Intermission I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samael gets an odd call from the bank.

Samael, like the good big brother he is, didn’t mind lending his shiny credit card to Amaimon if it kept him from messing with his toys. It wasn’t like his little brother had many interests in the way of inanimate objects, so he didn’t deign himself with concern on part of his bank account. He was hundreds of years old, after all. He highly doubted Amaimon could even be capable of draining a substantial amount with where his interests lay.

It still wasn’t any less concerning though, when one normal afternoon, Samael gets a call from his bank asking about a “suspicious withdrawal”. Apparently, Amaimon had gone and purchased an abnormal amount of candy (which was saying something). Even more, he was consistently buying more and more and it didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon. Samael knew his brother well. He also knew for a fact that Amaimon would not consume all of his purchases considering his normal orders. 

So, that begs the question: why the hell was his idiotic little brother draining his wallets all of the sudden? He normally restocked once a week (sometimes twice a week depending on his mood and cravings). Now he was revisiting the same establishment daily (though he did skip a couple days for yet another odd reason) and squandering money left and right.

Amaimon was straight forward, but he did not do things without a reason. Samael had actually asked his brother about his new habits, but he’d only gotten a mumbled “it’s interesting,” before being promptly ignored. The demon king briefly debated taking away Amaimon’s credit card rights, but decided against it. 

Whatever (or rather, whoever) Amaimon found so interesting in that sad little shop would need some looking into. But until then, Samael would sit back and wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly an update, but something I wrote up mid-way through working on the next chapter! I can only imagine the price tags on the shit Amaimon buys in the hours he spends harassing Natsume.
> 
> <3


End file.
